subduktiopalojen

Subduktiopalojen, known in English as subduction plates, are tectonic plates that participate in subduction, the process by which a denser plate sinks beneath a less dense plate at convergent boundaries. They are typically oceanic lithosphere, thinner and mafic in composition, though some subduction zones involve continental crust. The sinking is driven by the density contrast between the descending slab and the surrounding mantle, aided by slab pull as older, cooler crust thickens with age.

As the slab subducts, it generates a Wadati–Benioff zone, an inclined region of deep earthquakes that extends from near the surface to depths of several hundred kilometers. The descending slab heats and interacts with the surrounding mantle wedge, leading to partial melting and magma formation that often results in volcanic arcs on the overriding plate.

Subduction shapes the surface through the creation of deep ocean trenches, mountain belts at continental margins, and a variety of tectonic structures. It is also associated with significant seismic activity and, in coastal regions, the potential for tsunamis. The process recycles oceanic lithosphere into the mantle and is a central mechanism of plate tectonics.

Examples of subduction plates include the Pacific Plate, which subducts beneath multiple plates around the Pacific Rim; the Nazca Plate, subducting beneath the South American Plate to form the Andean margin; and the Juan de Fuca Plate, subducting beneath the North American Plate along Cascadia. Through these interactions, subduction plates drive long-term geologic activity and shape Earth’s surface.